Surviving the Rockies
by haleigh91
Summary: What happens when an ordinary field trip turns out to be dangerous? Can two people learn to put all their time and energy into surviving? Or will they be more focused on each other? Troyella
1. Trailer

**How can a simple field trip…**

"Class," Mr. Lowery announced, "We're going on a camping trip!"

**Turn out so different from the rest…**

_Shows Gabriella glancing over at Troy._

"Are we lost?"

**And most importantly…**

_Shows Gabriella nervously lying down next to Troy._

**Deadly?**

"TROY! HELP ME!" Gabriella screamed at the top of her lungs.

**Can they learn to stay alive…**

"Ew!" Gabriella squealed.

"If you want to live, you'll eat it."

**Help each other…**

"Troy, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, sweetie, everything will be alright."

**And survive the Rockies?**

_Shows Gabriella tearfully looking up at Troy. _

"Troy, are we going to survive?"

**This field trip is anything but ordinary.**

**Surviving the Rockies.**

**Coming soon.**

* * *

Ok, so seriously tell me what you think. I must have a lot of reviews before I start writing this story because I have a few other stories to write. Just review and tell me what you think. Oh, and if you have any possible ideas for the story, please let me know. Thanks!


	2. Surprise

**Hello! It's time for the first chapter of "Surviving the Rockies." Now, after you finish reading this chapter please review and tell me what you think. It would also help if you gave me an idea or two. I'm always open to any suggestions. Thanks and enjoy!**

* * *

It was another Monday and another boring school day at East High. Nothing was out of the ordinary and nothing seemed different, yet, everyone there knew that something was about to change. Something that would change two ordinary students lives forever. And now, everything that existed before would never be the same… 

"Yo, Troy! Heads up!" Chad Danforth called to his best friend, while playfully throwing him a basketball. Thankfully, the dazed Troy Bolton caught the ball.

Troy Bolton was your average jock: popular, hot, and loved by everyone. There wasn't a single girl at school who didn't fall for him and his charming good looks, not to mention his gorgeous blue eyes. He was the captain of East High's basketball team and was not afraid to show it. Of course, with his dad being the coach of the team, sometimes he didn't want to admit it (but that's a whole other story).

"Thanks, man. So I heard that Ms. Darbus is having another killer test today," Troy said.

"Yeah, unfortunately. That's just another test that I'll fail," Chad replied.

"Dude, have you ever passed a test before?" Zeke, another basketball player asked.

"Yeah, an eye exam," Troy joked, earning high fives from the rest of the players.

"Haha," Chad laughed sarcastically, deciding that it was time to change the current subject. "So, what do you think that Mr. Lowery has up his sleeve?"

"I don't know, man. He's been talking about this 'surprise' for the past two weeks. I mean, he is a Biology teacher. It can't be _that_ big of a surprise," Zeke stated.

"Yeah, well, it's time to find out," Troy said before stepping into the Biology room, not knowing what was in store for him.

* * *

Meanwhile, the scholastic decathlon team had just finished practice and were on their way to homeroom as well. Gabriella Montez and Taylor McKessie, who were best friends, were among the bright students and began making their way to Biology. 

"I think that practice is getting harder every week," Taylor complained after their hour long Scholastic Decathlon practice.

"Oh, come on, Tay. It wasn't that hard," Gabriella said.

"Easy for you to say. You're a genius!"

"Am not!" Gabriella shot back quickly.

"Yes you are. The first stage is denial."

"Well," Gabriella started, "I think that you are just as smart as me."

"Am not!"

"Yes you are. The first stage is denial," Gabriella said, mocking what Taylor had said earlier. Both girls laughed at Gabriella's joke.

"So what kind of surprise do you think that Mr. Lowery has planned?" Gabriella asked Taylor.

"I don't know, but I hope that it's something better than dissecting frogs," Taylor said with a shudder.

"I'm sure that it will be fun. I mean, what could be so bad about it?" Gabriella asked as she and Taylor stepped into the Biology room. Little did she know that she was entirely wrong. This surprise would change her life forever.

* * *

"Class, settle down," Mr. Lowery said monotonously from his front desk. The unsettled class continued their incessant chatter. 

"Class…" Mr. Lowery said, once again, in a droned out tone. The talking continued.

"QUIET!" he finally yelled. The class's noise suddenly ceased. "Now, as you all know, I have a surprise for you all." The class looked at Mr. Lowery in eager anticipation.

"Class," Mr. Lowery announced, "We're going on a camping trip!"

Instead of the smiles that he wanted to see, all Mr. Lowery heard was groans.

"Aw, come on. It will be fun!" Mr. Lowery said, trying to get the class excited.

"Spending three days out in the hot, smelly, and dangerous woods is not my idea of fun," Sharpay Evans, the school's drama diva, complained.

"Oh, yes it will. We will have hikes and scavenger hunts. Just think about how beautiful it will be to look up at the bright stars above our heads."

After Mr. Lowery was done explaining the details of the trip, Gabriella looked over at Taylor.

"Do you think that it will be fun?" she asked Taylor.

"Well I don't know. But if you're coming I'm sure that I'll have fun."

"Agreed," Gabriella giggled.

Meanwhile, Troy and Chad were discussing their own views of the class camping trip.

"Man, this is going to be such a waste of three days," Chad complained.

"I don't know, Chad. It could be much more fun than we think," Troy said.

"True, I mean, all the cute girls will be there."

All Troy could do was laugh. It seemed that all Chad could think about was basketball and girls.

"I guess."

"Oh come on, Troy. You got to admit; there has to be at least one girl you don't mind getting close to during the trip," Chad said.

"Well," Troy said, glancing over at Gabriella, "there is one."

* * *

**Ok, now I want honest opinions. Please review and tell me what you think. And I'm always open to new ideas. Thanks everyone for supporting me!**


	3. A Beautiful Partner

**Hey everyone! I sure hoped that you enjoyed the first chapter and if you didn't; don't worry because it's getting better. Oh, and if you haven't read any of my other stories you should defiantly read "You're Always There For Me." I would appreciate it. Anyways, on with the next chapter…****

* * *

**

_Friday, May 12, 2007—_

It was the day of the big Biology field trip. Taylor slowly opened the white door to Gabriella's room. As she opened it, she looked at Gabriella, still sleeping on her bed.

"Gabriella…" Taylor called softly. "Gabriella…" Taylor gently shook her arm, trying her best to wake her sleepy friend up.

"Ok," Taylor whispered, "you leave me no choice."

Taylor leaned over next to Gabriella's ear. "GABRIELLA!" she shouted into her friend's ear.

Gabriella quickly shot up. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" she frantically questioned, looking around the room.

"Gabi, you overslept."

"What time is it?" she asked, letting out a long yawn and stretching her arms over her head.

"7:35"

"WHAT?!? Why didn't you wake me up!?" Gabriella screamed. Taylor groaned and went to Gabriella's closet, pulling out her pink polka dotted suitcase.

"Here…" Taylor said, handing her the suitcase. "You still need to pack."

"Man, there is no way that I'll be able to make it to school by 8:00."

"Yes you will. I'll pack, if you go and get ready," Taylor offered.

"Thanks, Tay. You're the best," Gabriella said, giving her friend a hug and heading towards the bathroom to get ready for the day that would change her life forever.**

* * *

**

Thankfully, both Gabriella and Taylor made it just in time. By the time they got to the front of East High, Mr. Lowery had just started his speech about rules and other important stuff.

"Thank you Miss. McKessie and Miss. Montez for finally joining us," Mr. Lowery said. All eyes were on Taylor and Gabriella as both of their faces turned crimson red.

"Now, as I was saying, I will assign each of you a partner. This will be your buddy for the entire duration of the trip. With this partner, you will gather food and firewood, cook food, compete together during the scavenger hunt, sit with on the bus, and, in some cases, sleep together."

Taylor glanced at Gabriella. "I hope that you're my partner," Taylor whispered.

"Me too."

"I will now call out the pairs. Kelsi Nielson and Jason Cross. Martha Cox and Trevor Thomas. Zeke Baylor and Zeal Foster. Miley Stringer and Lily Rowell. Oliver Oken and Jackson Stewart. Jas Brumfield and Zach Martin. Chloe Mize and Hayley Zinc. Sharpay Evans and Taylor McKessie…"

Taylor sighed. Sharpay wasn't bad, but she would rather have spent the week with Gabriella.

Mr. Lowery continued to call out the names. "…Ryan Evans and Chad Danforth…"

Everyone heard Chad's groan. Gabriella was shocked the Chad had not been paired with Troy. Usually the two were inseparable. Gabriella gasped as she realized that she had not been called and then slowly glanced at the only other person who had not been called either.

"And finally, Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton."

Gabriella didn't know what to say. She, geeky Gabi, had been paired with the hottest and most popular guy in school. There was now no telling how the rest of the week would go.**

* * *

**

After Mr. Lowery had finished his speech, everyone began to climb aboard the yellow buses. Gabriella carefully followed Taylor down the narrow aisle. Taylor reluctantly sat down next to Sharpay. Gabriella stared at her until she realized why Taylor sat there in the first place. You had to sit with your partner.

Gabriella sighed and look towards the back of the bus to see Troy Bolton sitting on a seat by himself, staring out the window. Nervously, Gabriella sat down next to Troy. She had never even spoken a word to him before. They were basically complete strangers.

"So, I guess that you have to sit with me because you're my partner," Troy said, still looking out the window.

Gabriella was taken aback by Troy actually talking to her. "Um…yeah."

"Of course, a lot of girls would love to be in your place right now," Troy said, now fully facing Gabriella.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I'm not trying to sound conceited or anything, but it seems like every girl here at school likes me."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure of yourself, Mr. Bolton."

Oh, and you know someone who doesn't like me?"

"I can think of a few," Gabriella said.

"Anyways, since we've never really introduced ourselves," Troy stuck out his hand, "I'm Troy Bolton."

Gabriella giggled and shook his hand. "Gabriella Montez."

Instantly, both of them knew that there was something between them; some kind of…chemistry. They both felt the electrical spark when their hands touched each others.

Gabriella abruptly pulled her hand away and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"So, do you think that we'll have any fun this week?" Gabriella asked, changing the subject.

"Well, with such a beautiful partner, I'm sure I'll have loads of fun."

Gabriella blushed. Was Troy Bolton, THE Troy Bolton, hitting on her? She brushed the thought out of her mind as they continued to talk. They talked for what seemed like hours. Gabriella suddenly became sleepy and, not thinking anything of it, rested her head on Troy's shoulder. Troy smiled at the sleeping Gabriella, kissed her on the top of the head, and rested his own head on hers; both of them falling in a deep sleep.**

* * *

**

**OK, so what do you think? I want honest opinions in my reviews. Oh, and I have decided that I will not put up another chapter until I get plenty of reviews. Thanks!**


	4. Lost

**Hi everyone! I don't really have much to say except for the fact that HSM 2 premieres in 5 days!!! I'm sooooooo excited! Yeah, anyways, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

"Aww… They're so cute!" a squealed.

"Shh. You'll wake them up," another whispered.

"But we have to wake them up. It's time to go."

"Fine…Go ahead."

"Yo, lovebirds! Wake your sleepy selves up!" a guy, obviously Chad, yelled.

Gabriella's eyes flutter. The minute she opened them she was surrounded by Sharpay, Chad, Taylor, and Zeke. Troy also woke up and was embarrassed that his friends had seen him like this. He nervously took his arm from around Gabriella's shoulder and pulled it to his side. Both Gabriella and Troy stood up to leave the bus, neither one looking at each other.

As they got off the bus, Taylor and Sharpay pulled Gabriella to the side.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sharpay asked.

"Um…Excuse me?" Gabriella questioned.

"Let me handle this, Sharpay," Taylor said. "Ok, Gabi, we think that you need to get a new partner."

Gabriella looked from Taylor to Sharpay and back to Taylor. "What? Why?"

"Because, Troy is-" Sharpay said before Taylor interrupted her.

"I said let me handle this," Taylor said between clenched teeth.

"Sorry," Sharpay mumbled, hanging her head low.

"Sweetie, I to tell you this, but we think... no, we know that Troy is only using you."

"What?" Gabriella said, a tone of hurt in her voice.

"It's true!" Sharpay said, not even noticing Taylor's angry face. "Troy finds a women, gets what he wants from her, and then flat out dumps her."

"How can you say that about him?" Gabriella asked. She was hurt that her friends would think that about Troy.

"See, he's gotten to you. It's the Bolton charm," Sharpay exclaimed.

"Look, guys, Troy and I are only friends, nothing more. And that's all we'll ever be. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go find my partner," Gabriella stated before walking between her two friends to go find Troy.

Taylor shook her head. "Poor kid. I don't want to see her get hurt like this. But if she won't listen to us, she'll have to learn her lesson the hard way."

"And her lesson is…?" Sharpay asked.

Taylor fixed her eyes on Troy and Gabriella talking. "That Troy Bolton is nothing but trouble."

* * *

"Ok class," Mr. Lowery stated as they arrived at their campsite, "Every buddy pair needs to get a tent and start setting it up." Everyone stood motionless. "NOW!"

Every person found their partner and pulled a tent out from the back of the flat bed truck, taking it to the campsite.

Troy looked around for Gabriella and noticed her struggling to hold the tent package. He hurriedly walked over to Gabriella, knowing that he should help her.

"Here, let me help you," Troy said, taking the tent out of Gabriella's arms.

"Thanks." The pair fell silent as they walked towards the tent area. Troy would occasionally glance over at Gabriella, but she would never look back.

"You know," Troy started, "it's going to be kind of weird having to share a tent together."

"I can sleep outside," Gabriella offered.

"NO. I mean, it's going to be cold. And you'll be much more comfortable inside the tent."

This sentence made Gabriella start to think. What if her best friends were right? What if Troy was only using her? By the statement he had just made, it sure sounded like it.

"Look, Gabriella, if you really don't want to sleep in the same tent with me, I'll sleep outside. I just want you to be comfortable," Troy said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Troy."

"Anytime, Gabi."

Gabi. No one had ever called her that. She liked it, especially coming from Troy. There was something different about Troy. She didn't know what it was, but she certainly liked it.

* * *

After everybody had finished setting up their tents, the class huddled around in a circle and waited for their next instructions from their dreaded Biology teacher.

"Ok, now it's time to have some fun!" Mr. Lowery said, clapping his hands together. "We are all going to go search for firewood!"

"And the fun part is…?" Sharpay questioned out loud.

Mr. Lowery rolled his eyes at Sharpay's comment. "Oh, come on! This will give everyone a chance to really know their partner. Now, shoo. And you all better be back in one hour with plenty of firewood."

Troy glanced at Gabriella. "Well, I guess that we better get going."

"Um…yeah. Just hold on one second." Gabriella hurriedly went back to the tent and grabbed her backpack.

"Why do you need that?" Troy asked. "We're just going to go get firewood."

"Yeah, well, you never know when you're going to need something." Little did Gabriella know that she was right. That backpack was her key to survival.

* * *

_Snap! _Troy stepped on another twig, breaking it in half. His arms were full of firewood as he and Gabriella walked through the rugged terrain. Gabriella laid yet another stick on Troy's arms which were already full to the brim.

"I think that this is enough, Gabriella. Plus, it's getting dark. Maybe we should start heading back," Troy suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. My watch says 7:15. It's been an hour already. Which way do we go?"

"Um…this way, I think," Troy said as he started off in the direction that he _thought_ that he had came from.

Ten minutes later, they were still walking and had not made it back to the campsite. Troy looked left and right. This wasn't good. He wasn't familiar with these surroundings. And they had only walked a few minutes into the woods.

Gabriella nervously glanced over at Troy. "Are we lost?"

"Um…no. W-we just need to go this way." And Troy, yet again headed off into the wrong direction.

Gabriella stepped in front of Troy before he could go any farther. "Troy, be honest with me. Are we lost?"

Troy fully looked around him. He had no clue where he was. He couldn't tell Gabriella that they were lost, yet he knew he had to.

Troy gently set the firewood on the ground and took Gabriella's hands in his. "Gabi, I'm sorry."

"Sorry, for what?" Gabriella questioned, even though she knew what he was about to say.

"We're lost."

* * *

**Well, there ya have it. Please review and remember that I am always open to any suggestions. Thanks!**


	5. I Can Trust You

**Hey, everyone. Well, I guess that I'm not going to write a very long authors note today. But only because I want to move on with the story. Here we go…**

* * *

_Recap:_

_Gabriella stepped in front of Troy before he could go any farther. "Troy, be honest with me. Are we lost?"_

_Troy fully looked around him. He had no clue where he was. He couldn't tell Gabriella that they were lost, yet he knew he had to._

_Troy gently set the firewood on the ground and took Gabriella's hands in his. "Gabi, I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry, for what?" Gabriella questioned, even though she knew what he was about to say._

_"We're lost."_

Gabriella stood there in complete udder shock. She didn't know what was happening. She was experiencing so many emotions at once that she didn't know what to do or even think. Why, or rather how, did this happen? Everything was going just fine until this. That's when she began to wonder…what if we never find our way back home?

"Gabi, please say something," Troy commanded her as he stared at her, a blank expression written across her pale face.

"I…I…What…How…I…" Gabriella stammered.

"Look, don't worry, we'll find our way back. I promise."

"Okay," she said quietly, even though she was unsure she meant it. "Well, what should we do first?"

"Um…I don't really know. But I do know that it is getting dark. That means that we'll have to wait till morning before we can start heading back."

"You mean, we're going to have to spend the night out here?"

"I'm afraid so," Troy said. "Wait a minute; you brought your book bag! That's great!"

"You're right! I forgot about having it with me," Gabriella squealed as a smile crept to her glossy lips.

Troy watched Gabriella hurriedly slide the back pack off of her shoulders and gently set it on the ground.

"Well," Troy said, "what's in it?"

Gabriella opened the book bag to reveal many items that would help them throughout there journey together. "A flashlight, 4 bottles of water, 4 MRE's, a box of matches, one blanket, and a travel sized first aid kit."

"This is great! And you know what," Troy sighed, "I'm sorry for thinking that it was a crazy idea to bring the book bag along. I mean, you we're right. We never know when we might really need it."

"Thanks, Troy," Gabriella said as she gently gave her only companion a hug. This was going to be one interesting adventure.

* * *

Taylor glanced at her watch once again as she saw Sharpay, out of the corner of her eye, nervously pacing back and forth_ 8:15__ p.m._ Troy and Gabriella had been gone way too long. 

"Sharpay," Taylor began, "I'm really starting to get worried. They should have been back two hours ago."

"I know. I mean, what if something happened to them?"

"I don't know, Shar."

"I'm just…" Sharpay said with a sigh as she sat down next to Taylor, "scared."

"Me too, Shar…Me too."

"Well, what should we do?" Sharpay asked.

Before Taylor could answer, Chad and Zeke approached the worried women.

"Hey, Taylor. Have you seen Troy lately?" Chad asked them.

"No. We haven't seen Gabriella either," Taylor added. "And I'm beginning to get worried. They should have been back hours ago!"

"What should we do?" Zeke asked everyone.

"I guess that we should tell Mr. Lowery," Taylor suggested. The others nodded and followed Taylor as they headed towards their ditzy leader. As they approached him, they noticed that he was sleeping…and snoring.

"Mr. Lowery…" Taylor said quietly, gently shaking his shoulder.

"No, here's how you do it, sweetie …MR. LOWERY, FREE DOUGHNUTS!" Chad screamed into his sleeping teacher's ear.

Mr. Lowery jumped up with a start; frantically looking around. "Doughnuts? Where?" he questioned.

"There are no doughnuts, Mr. Lowery. But we do have something to tell you," Zeke said.

"Well, what is so important that you had to wake me up from a very important dream? Couldn't you have waited until Ms. Darbus had already asked me out?"

"Ok, I so didn't want to get that mental picture," Chad whispered to himself while shuttering his shoulders.

"Mr. Lowery, Troy and Gabriella haven't come back yet from getting firewood," Sharpay stated.

"You're point?" Mr. Lowery asked, not seeing the whole picture.

"They've been gone for two whole hours. Don't you think that we should, I don't know, look for them?!" Taylor yelled, getting angrier by the minute.

"Calm down, Tay," Chad whispered from behind.

"How am I supposed to calm down when my best friend is out there stranded in the middle of the woods with a lunkhead basketball man?! What if something bad happens to her?" By this point, Taylor was in tears, along with Sharpay. Not knowing what else to do, Chad came and wrapped his arms around Taylor, whispering comforting words into her ear.

"Well, Miss. McKessie, the only logical solution is to go out and look for them ourselves," Ms. Lowery stated. A look of hopefulness passed Taylor's wet face, but quickly disappeared as Mr. Lowery began his next sentence. "But, we can't do so until tomorrow morning."

"What?! Why?!" Sharpay yelled at him.

"Miss. Evans, I suggest that you calm yourself down. Now, Mr. Bolton and Miss. Montez will be fine. They carried a book bag of supplies. Plus, I believe that I have taught them well enough that they should know how to survive on their own in the wild."

"What if a bear eats them? Or we never find them? Or…" Taylor said frantically.

"Please, just go to your respective tents and get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us," Mr. Lowery stated before heading towards his tent.

"Well," Zeke said, "I guess that we'll just have to pray and hope for the best."

"Yeah," Taylor sighed, "I guess you're right."

* * *

It was growing darker by the second, and Gabriella's fears were beginning to get the best of her. She was scared of everything that was surrounding her. Bears, tall trees, howling noises, owl hooting in the distance, a pair of glowing eyes in a nearby bush, and most importantly, she was scared of Troy. Gabriella was worried about how Troy would treat her here. So far, Troy had managed to find an abandoned cave nearby which was a perfect spot for sleeping. 

Gabriella sat inside the cold, damp, musky cave and peered outside at Troy, who was vigorously rubbing two sticks together to try and make a fire. Gabriella managed to stifle a giggle and gracefully stood up, making her way towards the persistent male.

"Um, Troy, I've heard that that only works in movies," Gabriella whispered from behind, giving Troy a startling shock.

"Oh, you scared me," he said, his hand over his heart.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "But um, I think you might be forgetting something that would help you start that fire much faster."

"What?" Troy inquired.

Gabriella pulled out a pack of matches from behind her back. Troy stared at the matches and hit himself on the forehead for not thinking of them in the first place.

"Stupid," he mumbled. Troy then stood up and went to a close by bush and picked off some of the greener leaves.

"Um, Troy…"

"What?"

"I guess you didn't know that green leaves don't burn," Gabriella stated.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that. I was just…admiring them," Troy stammered before throwing the leaves down and bending over to search the ground for leaves.

Gabriella giggled at Troy, who apparently knew nothing about nature whatsoever. Gosh, he really was a city boy.

* * *

After they had gotten the fire started and had eaten a package of MRE's, Troy and Gabriella sat next to each other, staring at the open fire in front of them. 

"It's really nice out here," Gabriella said quietly, almost inaudible.

"Yeah…Sometimes I just like to get away from the city and just spend the night somewhere out in the country. It's so amazing to hear the crickets chirping and the wind howling. It's even more beautiful to look up at the sky and actually see the millions of stars up there; something you can't see in the city."

Gabriella glanced over at Troy. "I never knew you felt that way, Troy."

"Most people don't. That's because I've never told anyone that before."

"I'm really glad that you opened up to me, Troy. I mean, you didn't have to."

"I know. But I did it because I wanted to. I know that I can trust you, Gabriella, and you can trust me too."

"Good," she said, "I was hoping you'd say that."

Troy smiled and continued to look back up at the stars. "Well, I guess that we should get some sleep."

"Um…yeah…" Gabriella stammered. This was the moment that Gabriella had been most worried about. She slowly got up and followed Troy to the cave.

"What do you suggest we do?" Gabriella questioned.

"Well, there's only one blanket and we both really need it."

"Oh…"

"Look, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, I'll be fine without one," Troy said quickly.

"No. You need it just as much as I do."

"Ok. Well, the only choice that we have is to sleep as close as we can to one another. Our body temperatures might give off to each other. Plus, with freezing temperatures like this, we don't need to risk it."

Troy lay on the ground and Gabriella nervously lay down next to him. She pulled herself so close to him that she could feel him breathing against her cold face. Their faces were centimeters apart and they were snuggled together as close as possible. This situation was scary at first for Gabriella but once she remembered what Troy had said to her, she knew that she had nothing to worry about. That thought, that phrase, that _promise_, stayed in Gabriella's mind as she slipped into her sweet dreams.

_"I know that I can trust you, Gabriella, and you can trust me too."_

* * *

**There it is, the next chapter. Please review. And I just want to let everyone know that I won't be able to update as much as I used to because my dad is going back to school and will be using this computer frequently to type essays and stuff. So the more reviews, the more motivated I get to type the next chapter. Thanks!**


	6. You're Special to Me

**Hey everyone! I'm finally back and writing another chapter haha. I'd like to thank everyone for the fabulous reviews. Keep them coming guys because you are the only thing that's keeping this story alive. By the way, if anyone out there has an idea for this story, please let me know, because I'm having a little trouble with it. Thanks for everything!****

* * *

**

As the bright morning sunlight came beaming through the cave, Troy gradually began to wake up. The first thing he saw: a peaceful Gabriella, who was dreaming deeply.

_"Gosh, she's so beautiful," _Troy thought to himself. As he looked down at his muscular arms, he noticed that they were tightly wrapped around Gabriella's thin waist so that their bodies were gracefully touching. Troy smirked at their current image and slipped his hand out from behind her back. He then placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Gabriella…" he whispered gently into her ear. Troy heard her moan and saw her shift gently. He softly laughed, hearing her moan so deeply. "Gabi, you need to wake up." Troy, not knowing what else to do, softly kissed her cheek.

Gabriella's eyes fluttered open as Troy's lips came into contact with her soft, tender cheek. She had felt the electrical surge as he had kissed her. "Morning," she sighed.

"Good morning," Troy said. "I didn't think that you were going to wake up."

"Well, I am now," she stated. Gabriella looked down only to notice Troy's arms encircled tightly around her slender waist. She blushed as so did Troy, before removing his arms from around her.

"Sorry," Troy whispered, almost inaudible.

"It's ok. So, um, what's our plan for today?" Gabriella inquired, trying her best to change the subject. She picked up her backpack and both of the teenagers started to head off.

"Well, I thought that we should head north. But the best thing for us to do is find a river. Once we find a river, we're sure to find people somewhere," stated Troy.

"Wow. I didn't know that you knew so much about nature."

"Most people don't," Troy whispered.

"Well then, how did you know all that?"

"Um…Ok, I know it sounds dorky. But I was a…boy scout."

"You? Troy Bolton? A boy scout?!"

"Yes. It's not that hard to believe is it?"

"Um, yeah!" Gabriella said, while laughing some more.

"Go ahead and laugh all you want, but let's see who's laughing when I'm the one who gets us back home safely."

"You go right ahead and do that Mr. Wilderness."

"Haha. Real funny," Troy said sarcastically.

After their laughter had ceased, the two walked in an awkward silence for about 10 minutes before Troy looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the second and he could feel the electricity in the air.

"I guess that we need to find a place to stop. It looks like it's about to storm."

"I suppose you're right. What about that place over there?" Gabriella was pointing at another cave, just like they had stayed in the night before. The only difference was that this one was much smaller.

"Well, it's better than nothing," Troy said before the two entered the cave just in the nick of time.**

* * *

**

Chad quietly unzipped the tent, currently occupied by Taylor and Sharpay, and softly stepped inside. He saw both Taylor and Sharpay sleeping soundly. Although he didn't want to disturb their peaceful sleeping, Chad knew that he no choice. His best friend's life depended on it.

He decided to try Taylor first; after all, she wasn't the big drama queen like Sharpay. Chad lightly put his hand on Taylor's shoulder and gently shook it.

"Taylor…" he called. "Taylor, wake up."

"Wha… Chad?!" she questioned when she saw who had intruded into their tent. Chad's hand flew to Taylor's mouth, enabling her from speaking any louder that she already was. "What are you doing here?" Taylor whispered once Chad had removed his hand.

"Well, I figured that we might need to go ahead and start looking for Troy and Gabriella."

"But what about Mr. Lowery?" she questioned while quietly peeking outside at his tent.

"Oh, don't worry. Nothing's going to wake him up."

"And Sharpay?" Taylor inquired while looking over at her sleeping friend.

"I didn't want to say this, but she's just going to be a hindrance to us. I mean, she's no wilderness woman, that's for sure."

"True, true." Taylor thought for a moment before sighing, rolling her eyes, and picking up her book bag. "Ok, let's go."**

* * *

**

"So…" Gabriella sighed as the rain splattered even harder on the top of the small cave. It seemed that it was getting stronger and stronger by the second.

"So…" Troy continued. He heard something and began to look around to see what the noise was. Troy finally noticed that Gabriella's teeth were chattering. "Oh, are you cold?"

"Um, yeah, kinda," Gabriella said as her teeth continued to chatter.

"Well here," Troy said before giving her their only blanket.

He placed the blanket around her slender shoulders. Gabriella lightly smiled at Troy. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Gabi."

There was a moment of silence. "Honestly, Troy. I really like it when you call me Gabi."

"Well, every special woman deserves a special name," Troy said as he reached over and interlock his fingers with Gabriella's. "You're special to me, Gabi."

"You really mean it?"

Troy shook his head. "I do."**

* * *

**

**Ok, I know that it was super short, but I really wanted to put a chapter up. So there ya go! Please review. Ooh, and I decided to put some trivia every once in awhile at the end of the chapter so be sure to check. Thanks!**

**Trivia:**

**What was the name of the kid who wanted Troy to sign his yearbook just as Troy and Gabriella were about to kiss? (Hint-it's in HSM2)**


End file.
